Courtesy Library of CongressCirca 1898The son of Allyn and
Agnes Capron, he was killed-in-action during the Spanish-American War on
June 24, 1898. From a contemporary report:

"It was predicted that the Rough Riders would
give a good account of themselves, but few were prepared for such an exhibition
of dash and bravery as was witnessed in their first fight with the enemy
on June 24, 1898. Captain Allyn Capron, Jr. stood behind his men, revolver
in hand, using it whenever a Spainiard exposed himself. His aim was sure,
and two of the enemy were seen to fall under his fire.

"Just as he was preparing to take another shot,
and shouting orders to his men at the same time, his revolver dropped from
his grasp and he fell to the ground with a rifle ball through his body.
His troop was badly disconcerted for a moment, but with all of the strength
he could muster, he cried "Don't mind me boys, go on and fight." He was
carried from the field as soon as possible, and lived for only a few more
hours.

"The loss of Capron and other brave men from
the Rough Riders, was a serious blow. General Nelson Miles spoke in the
highest praise of Capron, saying he had been one of the best officers in
the U. S. service, a man who knew no fear. Captain John R. Thomas, Jr.,
of Chicago, who had charge of Troop L after Capron was killed reported:
"Poor Capron received his death wound early in the fight and while he was
lying on the ground, dying, he said 'Let me see it out; I want to see it
all.'"

This American hero is buried among other family
members in Section 1 of Arlington National Cemetery.

Allyn Kissam Capron of New YorkPrivate, Corporal and Sereant, Troop B, 4th
U. S. Cavalry, 20 October 1890 to 3 November 1893Second Lieutenant, 5th U. S. Infantry, 7 October
1893Transferred to 7th U. S. Cavalry, 30 November
1894Captain. 1st U. S. Volunteer Cavalry,
10 May 1898Killed 24 June 1898 in battle of Las Guasimas,
CubaCaptain Capron stood behind his
men, revolver in hand, using it whenever a Spaniard exposed himself . .
. Just as he was preparing to take another shot and shouting orders
to his men at the same time, his revolver dropped from his grasp and he
fell to the ground with a ball through his body. His troop was badly disconcerted
for a moment, but with all the strength he could muster he cried, "Don't
mind me, boys, go on and fight." He was carried from the field as soon
as possible and lived only a few hours.

"Only fifty feet from him and farther down
the trail I passed his captain, with his body propped against Church's
knee and with his head fallen on the surgeon's shoulder. Capron was
always a handsome, soldierly looking man - some said he was the most soldierly
looking of any of the young officers in the army - and as I saw him then
death had given him a great dignity and nobleness.

At ten o'clock on Monday morning, an elderly,
rugged looking man in uniform came to headquarters. Everybody greeted him
silently. I understood why, when introduced. He was Captain Allyn Capron
Sr . . . When they went to the grave I accompanied them. The body had been
brought down the day before and buried, temporarily, in a desolate spot
on the hillside back of the shanties. During the walk there, occasionally
wiping away a tear, Captain Capron said:

"Tell me about the boy's death. I've heard
nothing definite. How many times was he shot?"

Twice," replied Dr. Ives.

"He kept on, didn't he? He didn't quit after
the first one, did he?"

"No! It was the second one!"

"That's good! That's good! I knew he'd die
right."

After an impressive pause and a deep sigh,
he continued: "Well! I suppose it will be my turn next. They always come
in threes. His grandfather was killed in Mexico while in command of this
same battery. (The fifth) I guess it's my turn next, but I hope to God
that I get five good shots at the ---- ---- before they get me."

There are military families in
the United Sates, where the men of each generation are expected, and more
often than not do follow in the boot-steps of their ancestors and takes
up the military mantel of "protector of the state."

Captain Allyn Capron Jr., who found himself
leading his men into the uncertainty of battle on June 24, 1898, was a
member of just such a family. He was fifth generation US Army. His grandfather
had been killed in battle in Mexico some years before while in charge of
the Fifth Artillery. Even as Allyn Capron Jr. led his men against the Spaniards
near Siboney his father, Allyn Capron Sr. was in charge of that same Fifth
Artillery waiting to be disembarked from the transport Comal, only a few
hundred yards from his son's position.

As Capron and
his men neared the hill where the Spanish were known to be dug in he issued
an order for the men to remain silent. The men, virtually on top of the
enemy positions, were ordered to load their carbine rifles. Only a few
minutes after this Captain Allyn Capron Jr. lay dying with a bullet wound
to his chest. Soon thereafter, unbeknonwst to his father only a short distance
off, the younger Capron joined his Grandfather.

Allyn Capron
Jr., by all accounts, was a tremendous soldier and a strikingly handsome
officer with blonde hair and blue eyes. He had brought with him from the
Indian Territories two companies, and quickly impressed all the officers
and enlisted men in the Rough Riders with his tireless concern for his
men, coupled with a ceaseless regimen of training. According to more than
one man who campaigned with him, Capron was the finest soldier the US had
to offer.

Finally, there was Allyn Capron,
who was, on the whole, the best soldier in the regiment. In fact, I think
he was the ideal of what an American regular army officer should be. He
was the fifth in descent from father to son who had served in the army
of the United States, and in body and mind alike he was fitted to play
his part to perfection. Tall and lithe, a remarkable boxer and walker,
a first-class rider and shot, with yellow hair and piercing blue eyes,
he looked what he was, the archetype of the fighting man. He had under
him one of the two companies from the Indian Territory; and he so soon
impressed himself upon the wild spirit of his followers, that he got them
ahead in discipline faster than any other troop in the regiment, while
at the same time taking care of their bodily wants. His ceaseless effort
was so to train them, care for them, and inspire them as to bring their
fighting efficiency to the highest possible pitch. He required instant
obedience, and tolerated not the slightest evasion of duty; but his mastery
of his art was so thorough and his performance of his own duty so rigid
that he won at once not merely their admiration, but that soldierly
affection so readily given by the man in the ranks to the superior who
cares for his men and leads them fearlessly in battle.

-- Theodore Roosevelt

Roosevelt had proved himself
as capable under fire as he had been behind a desk in Washington, and in
the saddle on the training grounds in Texas. In the hour and half fight,
the Rough Riders lost eight men dead, including Captain Allyn Capron, Jr.,
a fifth generation military man from Brooklyn, lately of Oklahoma, and
called by Roosevelt "the best soldier in the regiment"BURIAL OF CAPTAIN CAPRONOne Of The Leaders Of The Rough Riders Laid
To Rest

WASHINGTON, July 27, 1898 - Funeral services
over the body of Captain Allyn Capron, one of the gannalt heroes of Roosevelt's
Rough Riders, who fell before Siboney, were held here today, the deceased
having been brought North on the Government transport Hudson. The services
were held in St. Paul's Episcopal Church. The coffin was hid in a
profusion of floral offerings.

The Rev. Dr. Harding opened the services and
a choir of young ladies sang "Nearer My God To Thee," and "Lead, Kindly
Light." The body was then taken to Arlington, escorted by 100 men
of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania Regment, where it was interred. Captain
Capton's mother and wife were present, but his father is with his battery
of artillery in Cuba.

TWO WIDOWS GET CITATIONSPosthumous Silver Star Awards Made for Bravery
of Two OfficersMay 26, 1925

Two posthumous Silver Star Citations have been
awarded to the late Captain Allyn Capron, First
United States Artillery, according to an announcement made yesterday by
his son, Major P. A. Capron, United States Marine
Corps, of the Marine Barracks at Charleston, South Carolina.

The citations are for gallantry in the Sioux
Indian campaign in 1890 and 1891 and in the Spanish-American War.
Captain Capron died three weeks after returning from Cuba from the effects
of typhoid fever contracted during the campaign.

A postmunous Silver Star Citation also has
been awarded to Captain A. K. Capron, Seventh
United States Cavalry, for gallantry in action at the battle of Las Guasinas,
Cuba, June 24, 1898, where he was killed. The star has been sent
to his widow, Mrs. Lillian Capron of Washington,
D.C.